GROUP DYNAMICS REVIEWER

Forming

The initial stage of group development where members come together and establish their roles and relationships.

Community

A group of people who are bound together by commonalities, shared values, beliefs, and history.

Society

A group defined by its heterogeneous nature, with formal rules, roles, and a shared goal.

In-group and Out-group

The division within a group based on power distribution, where the in-group has more power and the out-group has less.

Ostracism

The act of excluding someone from a group, which can cause pain similar to physical injury.

Affiliation

The gathering together of individuals in one location or a formalized relationship with a group or organization.

Misery Loves Company

The tendency for people to seek out others when facing anxiety or confusion.

Misery Loves Miserable Company

The preference to join individuals who have useful information about a situation and are in a similar situation.

Embarrassed Misery Avoids Company

The tendency for fear or embarrassment to reduce affiliation with others.

Stress and Affiliation

The role of groups in providing social support during times of stress and tension.

Upward Social Comparison

When an individual compares themselves to people who are better off than they are.1. Downward Social Comparison:Selecting people who are less well off as targets for social comparison, which can lower self-esteem and sabotage others' performances.

Upward Social Comparison

Selecting people who are performing better as targets for social comparison, which can inspire and motivate individuals.

Job Performance

Comparing one's own performance to others in the workplace, either upward or downward.

Intelligence

Comparing one's own intelligence to others, either upward or downward.

Relationships

Comparing one's own relationship to others, either upward or downward, to gain perspective and gratitude.

Social Exchange Perspective

An economic model of interpersonal relationships that assumes individuals seek out relationships that offer them many rewards while exacting few costs.

Minimax Principle

The principle that people will join and remain in groups that provide them with the maximum number of valued rewards while incurring the minimum number of possible costs.

Comparison Level (CL)

In social exchange theory, the standard by which the individual evaluates the quality of any social relationship.

Comparison Level for Alternatives (CLalt)

In social exchange theory, the standard by which individuals evaluate the quality of other groups that they may join.

Challenges and Limitations of Social Exchange Theory

The complexity of factors contributing to the perception of costs and rewards, the lack of accounting for individual differences and social context, and the influence of culture and social settings on social norms and behaviors.1. Conflict:A disagreement, discord, and friction that occurs when the actions or beliefs of one or more members of the group are unacceptable to and resisted by one or more of the other group members.

Intragroup conflict

Conflict that occurs inside a group between two or more members.

Intergroup conflict

Conflict that occurs between groups.

Conflict escalation

The stage in the conflict cycle where a group is unable to resolve the disagreement, leading to an intensification of the conflict.

Conflict de-escalation

The stage in the conflict cycle where members actively seek and implement ways to resolve differences.

Conflict resolution

The stage in the conflict cycle where members are satisfied with how the issue or problem was addressed.

Negotiation

A method of managing conflict that involves identifying the core of the conflict and motivating members to collaborate to find a compromise that is acceptable to both parties.

Integrative negotiation

A type of negotiation that focuses on finding a compromise that is acceptable to both parties.

Distributive negotiation

A type of negotiation that focuses on dispensing resources.

Dual Concern Model

A method of managing conflict that involves avoiding, yielding, fighting, or cooperating, taking into consideration concern for self and concern for others.

Tit-For-Tat Strategy

A strategy used when group members continue to compete, where the results greatly depend on whether the parties involved choose to cooperate or not cooperate.

Mediators

Individuals who may impose/suggest solutions or guide conflicting parties to a compromise.

Substantive conflicts

Conflicts that involve being unable to give way or compromise over goals, tasks, and the allocation of resources.

Emotional conflicts

Conflicts that involve jealousy, insecurity, annoyance, envy, or personal conflicts.

Causes of conflict

Confusion about people's positions, differences in personality, legitimate differences of opinion, poor norms, hidden agendas, competitive reward structures, and poorly managed meetings.1. Storming:Unhealthy causes of conflicts, such as competition over power, rewards, and resources, conflict between individual and team goals, poorly run team meetings, personal grudges from the past, and faulty communications.

Hidden conflicts

Conflicts that stem from organizational, social, and personal sources, such as competition over scarce resources, ambiguity over responsibilities, status differences among group members, and competitive reward systems.

Ineffective leader

A leader who is unable to facilitate meetings with the members, leading to conflict within the team.

Personality differences

Differences or poor social relations among group members that can cause conflict, brought on by resentments from prior setbacks, inaccurate perceptions of another person's actions, or poor communication.

Value of conflict

Not all conflict is negative, as it can spark new ideas, generate creativity, and help teams avoid groupthink.

Groupthink

The mindset that develops when people put too much value on team consensus and harmony, leading to a lack of diverse opinions and ideas.

Positive conflict

Conflict that stimulates creative thinking, fosters innovation, improves decision-making, increases team cohesion, promotes personal and professional growth, strengthens relationships, and contributes to organizational learning.1. Storming:The stage in group dynamics where conflicts are addressed effectively, leading to identification of underlying issues, areas for improvement, and systemic challenges.

Increased Productivity

The positive outcome of resolving conflicts in a timely manner, minimizing unproductive tensions and misunderstandings that can hinder workflow.

Constructive Conflict Management Techniques

Active listening, transparent communication, empathy, and willingness to compromise, which are essential in addressing conflicts in a constructive and respectful manner.

Group Dynamics

The study of how individuals interact within a group, including the development of group structure and the impact of conflicts on group functioning.

Norming

The stage in group dynamics where the group develops a cohesive structure and establishes norms and expectations for behavior.

Group Structure

The organization and arrangement of roles, responsibilities, and relationships within a group.

Positive Conflict

Conflict that is addressed in a constructive manner and leads to organizational growth and positive change.

Destructive Conflict

Conflict that escalates into negative situations and hinders organizational productivity and harmony.

Feedback and Reflection

The process of providing input and evaluating past actions, processes, policies, and practices to facilitate learning and improvement.

Systemic Challenges

Underlying issues or obstacles that affect the functioning of an organization or group as a whole.1. Group Structure:The arrangement of individuals and their relationships in a group, including positions, roles, and patterns of authority, attraction, and communication.

Norms

Consensual and often implicit standards that describe what behaviors should and should not be performed in a given context.

Social Norms

Fundamental elements of social structure that provide direction and motivation, organize social interactions, and make other people's responses predictable and meaningful.

Prescriptive Norms

Socially appropriate ways to respond in a situation.

Proscriptive Norms

Prohibitions that define the types of actions that should be avoided if possible.

Descriptive Norms

Descriptions of what most people usually do, feel, or think in a particular situation.

Injunctive Norms

Evaluative norms that describe the behaviors that people ought to perform.

Internalization of Norms

Norms that are not simply external rules but internalized standards.

Social Tuning

The tendency for individuals' actions and evaluations to become more similar to those around them.

Muzafer Sherif

A social psychologist who studied the social tuning process using the autokinetic effect.

Autokinetic Effect

A visual illusion where a pinpoint of light appears to wander in unpredictable directions and speeds in a dark room.

Convergence

When individuals' judgments blend with those of other group members, resulting in similar estimates or actions.1. Norming:The stage in group development where group members' behaviors and judgments align over time.

Group norms

Consensual and internalized beliefs and behaviors that regulate interactions within a group.

Transmission of norms

The process by which group members' behaviors, judgments, and beliefs align over time, leading to the emergence of group norms.

Social facts

Taken-for-granted elements of a group's stable structure, including norms that are both consensual and internalized by group members.

Norm transmission experiment

A research paradigm where a group is created and newcomers are added while old-timers retire, studying how norms are passed down through generations.

Pluralistic ignorance

When group members privately vary in outlook and expectations but publicly act similarly due to the misperception that their personal views are different from the rest of the group.

Normative processes

Processes by which norms regulate behaviors in groups, facilitating productivity but also contributing to negative and unhealthy behaviors.

Alcohol norms

Norms that influence the consumption of alcohol, including excessive drinking, which may be considered "normal" on many college campuses.

Norms and health

The impact of normative processes on various unhealthy behaviors, such as alcohol abuse, overeating, obesity, and drug use.

Social network influence

The spread of behaviors, including obesity, among individuals who are linked together in a social network due to the influence of norms.1. Norming:The process of developing group structure and establishing norms within a group.

Club drugs

Methamphetamine, cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy, GHB, and LSD, which are frequently used by certain individuals due to social pressure.

Eating disorders

Conditions such as bulimia that are prevalent in certain social groups like cheerleading squads, dance troupes, sports teams, and sororities.

Healthy actions

Behaviors that promote well-being and positive outcomes.

Unhealthy actions

Behaviors that are detrimental to one's health and well-being.

Alcoholics Anonymous

A group with clear norms aimed at helping individuals recover from alcohol addiction.

Role

A set of expected behaviors associated with a specific position within a group or social setting.

Role differentiation

The increase in the number of roles within a group, accompanied by a decrease in the scope of each role.

Task role

A position in a group focused on performing behaviors related to tasks and activities.

Relationship role

A position in a group focused on improving interpersonal relations among members.

Functional role theories

Theories that describe the different roles within a group and their functions in responding to challenges and adapting to the environment.1. Interactionist role theories:Theories that emphasize the negotiation of roles through organic interaction between group members.

Role negotiation

The process of negotiating and defining roles within a group through behaviors and expectations.

Dynamic role theories

Theories that identify deep roles in groups, such as "mother" and "father" roles, drawing on Freud's psychodynamic theory.

Bales' SYMLOG model

Robert Bales' model that explains the types of roles commonly observed in groups, based on three dimensions:dominance/submissiveness, friendliness/unfriendliness, and acceptance/nonacceptance of task authority.

Group socialization

The pattern of change in the relationship between an individual and a group, from considering joining to leaving the group.

Group socialization theory

Richard Moreland and John Levine's theory that explains how individuals negotiate their role assignments in groups through assimilation and accommodation.

Intermember relations

The connections among members of a group that form the basis for the network of relationships within the group.

Status relations

The stable patterns of variations in authority and power within a group.

Status differentiation

The gradual rise of some group members to positions of greater authority, accompanied by decreases in the authority of others.1. Status Rank:The complex result of individual, group, and cultural factors that determines who gains authority in a group.

Person-group fit

The degree to which individuals' attributes match the qualities valued by the groups to which they belong.

Pecking order

A system of dominance and submission in which high-ranking members maintain their position by threatening or attacking low-ranking members.

Status Generalization

A phenomenon where group members let general status characteristics influence their expectations, even if those characteristics are irrelevant in the given situation.

Attraction Relations

Patterns of liking/disliking, acceptance/rejection, and inclusion/exclusion among members of a group.

Sociometric Differentiation

The development of stronger and more positive interpersonal ties between some members of the group, accompanied by decreases in the quality of relations between other members.

Reciprocity

The mutual liking of members of the group.

Transitivity

The passing of a relationship from one element to the next. If person A likes person B, and B likes C, then the structure is transitive if A likes C as well.

Clusters/cliques

The formation of a unified coalition within the larger group, where members tend to be more similar to each other than to the rest of the group.

Balance Theory

An analysis of social relations that assumes relationships can be either balanced or unbalanced, with balanced relationships being more structurally sound.

Communication Networks

Patterns of information transmission and exchange that describe who communicates most frequently and to what extent with whom.1. Centralized networks:Communication networks in which one position in the group has a high degree of centrality and acts as the hub of communication.

Decentralized networks

Communication networks in which no one position is more "central" than another, and the number of channels at each position is roughly equal.

Each to all pattern

An organizational structure used by decentralized groups where everyone sends messages in all directions until someone gets the correct answer.

Hierarchical communication networks

Communication networks adopted by organizations to manage information flow, typically involving downward-flowing information from leaders to followers and upward communications from subordinates to superiors.